Joey watched the stars as he walked down the street in San Francisco. Since moving out of the Tanner household, he could no longer lay in the backyard to do his thinking and the streetlights were too bright near his apartment, so he had to go for walks to stargaze and think.

Joey was reflecting on his life once again. It had been 6 months since he moved out of the Tanner household. It was a hard move full of tears and hugs, but it was something he had to do for himself. He was being held back there and he had to find a new life for himself.

His new job was doing many different cartoon voices for children's television shows. It was a job he could find himself working at for a while. He always wanted to do something to make children happy. He had done that working as Ranger Joe, but when that was cancelled he knew what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. He wanted to work doing something to benefit children. This was just the start of his career and he was excited that he was starting a new life for himself.

So he was doing what he always wanted – making kids happy – yet, at this moment, he was not happy himself.

After moving out of Danny's, Joey had doubted his decision a few times. His new apartment was okay, but he was so used to the Tanner household that he wasn't used to being alone so much. At Danny's, there was always someone to talk to and something to do. And there was also always someone to do things for. He missed cooking dinner for everybody and helping out around the house. It was a hard transition for him, but after 6 months, he had gotten more used to it. Especially after he met Melanie. She helped him not feel so alone after the move.

And that was the reason he was upset at the moment. They got into a fight over something stupid, but he didn't know what to do about it. He didn't have much experience with long term relationships and this one had lasted 5 months, which was long for Joey. And he really liked her. She was a lifeguard at a pool and taught swimming lessons for children, so they had that interest in common. She was muscular from swimming and tall with long brown hair and large chocolate brown eyes. He was struck the first time he saw her. He remembered the first time they met. She was standing at the bus stop near the swimming pool where she worked. Joey had just come from doing errands and was carrying grocery bags with him. It was a particularly cold day for San Francisco and he set his bags down to blow air into his cupped hands. He glanced at the woman next to him, who was noticing his discomfort.

"It'd be better if we had heaters in these bus stops, huh," she said.

"That's for sure," Joey replied.

"Or if we had some vodka maybe."

Joey laughed and looked up at her for the first time. He was enthralled, he couldn't even think of anything to say.

"Yeah," he said.

"Do you work near here then?" she asked.

"Yeah, just a block over." He pointed. "I'm a voice artist."

"Oh really?" She seemed interested. "That sounds cool."

"Yeah, it's not a big deal, but hopefully I get a connection with Disney to make it big," he exaggerated to impress her.

She looked at him unimpressed. "Right."

"So," Joey cleared his throat and looked uneasy trying to continue the conversation. "Where do you work?"

"I'm a lifeguard at the city pool over there." She pointed.

Joey just nodded. He couldn't even concentrate on small talk with this beautiful woman her looking at him.

"It's not exactly what I want to do," she continued, "but I don't mind teaching swimming lessons to little kids and it brings in money for the other things I like to do."

"Oh," Joey asked, intrigued, "what else do you like to do?"

"You know, painting and drawing. I'm trying to get my things into some galleries around town."

"Oh, that would be really cool," Joey said.

There was a pause in their conversation, while Joey thought of something else to say.

"So, what's your name?" he said finally. "So I can recognize it when you become big." He smiled at her.

She smiled slightly and then laughed. "Melanie," she said.

"Joey."

That's where it had all started.

He looked up suddenly. He hadn't noticed that he was walking past her apartment door. This was as good a time as any to make up, he thought to himself. He walked up to the building and rang her apartment.

"Yes," her voice came on the intercom.

Joey paused, not knowing what to say. "Hey, it's Joey," was all he could come up with.

There was a pause from her side. "Hi."

At least she wasn't opposed to talking, he thought.

"I just wanted to talk to you. Can I come up?"

There was no answer except the buzz of the door opening. He opened it and walked up the stairs to her floor and knocked on her door.

She opened the door. She was wearing a long white sweater with a belt around her waist over black tights. The soft yellow light from her apartment behind her made her look ravishing to Joey.

"I can't get over how beautiful you are," he told her as he walked inside.

"Let's not start with flattery," she retorted. "I have something to say to you."

"Well, you are beautiful to me," Joey said becoming a little aggressive. "I just wanted to tell you that."

"Yes, I do know that, but…"

"You're so great. I just admire you so much. You're like my Olive and I'm Popeye." He mashed his face up to look like Popeye and started singing the theme song and hyuking like him.

"Joey," Melanie said trying to get his attention.

"No, really." Joey was bouncing off the walls now. "We're like Fred and Wilma, but without a stone car, without any car really. And without a Pebbles and Bam-Bam, although I wouldn't mind having kids one day, Wilma. I'm crazy about you. I don't want you to think I'm not serious about you. Is that what we're fighting about? I don't even know, but I'll do anything to end it."

"JOEY!"

This time she grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him to listen to her.

"Listen to me," she said softly.

Joey's countenance softened as he looked into her eyes.

"I need you to listen to me sometimes. I love that you're so funny sometimes, but sometimes you need to stop… and listen." She stroked her hand against his cheek.

He closed his eyes and leaned into her hand. He opened his eyes and gazed into hers. "Okay, I'm listening," he said. "It's hard for me to stop doing this. I've been being funny to get people to like me since elementary school and it's just become a part of me."

"I know and that's what I love about you. But you need to be yourself sometimes too and not just always try to be funny or say what you think people will want to hear to get others to like you. Not everyone will like you and that's okay. Just be you." She turned away and paced the floor. She continued, irritated. "That's what is annoying me about this relationship. It's like, sometimes you think I won't accept you in some way and you change your opinion to get me to like you. You should realize by now that I like you. We've been together for this long," Her voice was getting louder as she spoke. She paused and looked down. Quietly, she spoke. "In fact, I love you."

Joey looked up quickly, happily.

She continued before he could respond. "But I would like it if you would be yourself. You don't need to constantly flatter me to continue to be with me. I'm going to accept you no matter what you think or say, so just be yourself around me, please."

Joey was so happy.

"I love you too," he told her. "I have for some time now. You make me feel accepted. I'll try to be a better person."

"You're already a great person," she replied. "Just be that person. Let me see that person."

Melanie smiled at him and took his hand in hers. Joey smiled back at her.

"Thank you," he said.

"For what?"

"For being you."

She smiled. Joey kissed her softly on her lips. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and increased the passion of their kiss.

And Joey realized how much life he was missing at the Tanner household. Yes, he was used to it and it was comfortable and hard to let go of, but if he hadn't left, he would never have challenged himself and started a career for himself and found love. He would have been happy yes, but not blissfully happy the way new challenges, new relationships and new risks make a life. He was actually living.